Hardest to Love
by Jessica Lauren
Summary: - "I take these pills because Toby died only a month after I rescued him. I have a hole in my heart because something I so strongly believed to be real just isn't. Jareth, I'm not a little girl anymore. You're just a delusion. Let's face it, I'm crazy." -
1. Underwater

**Chapter One: Underwater**

"It's not fair!" The girl cried, her voice echoing out of the room and down the empty hallway. Her shoulders arched and her head fell dramatically onto the piano keys and just rested it there, her silky brunette hair falling over her shoulder. The notes the keys coursed out were the total opposite of what the girl had been playing; they clashed together and caused the baby in the other room to squeal in horror.

"Anna!" Sarah Williams rushed out of the kitchen and into the music room where the piano was situated. "What's so unfair you had to wake up Freddy?"

The girl raised her head to turn and glare at her mother, "I can't get this right! These notes don't make any sense!"

"Perhaps if you stopped taking it for granted that this isn't going to magically come to you, then maybe they would," Sarah brushed her hand through her hair and walked into the nursery. She picked up the crying Freddy and balanced him on her hip. She walked back out into music room. Anna was no longer sitting at the piano; she had stormed off into her room. Sarah continued to hush Freddy as she walked into Anna's room. She was sitting in front of her mirror, staring into her own eyes.

Anna looked a lot like she did when she was fifteen. She acted _a lot _like she did when she was fifteen too. Her hair was straight and brown, not styled and dyed like so many other girls in her year. Her eyes were deep brown, too old, but too young to be the eyes of a teenage girl. Anna was spoiled. She got everything she wanted. Sarah had split up with her boyfriend just after Freddy was born, and now he spoiled their kids. Sarah hated the way Anna had become. Obsessed with lipstick, fantasies, costumes and plays. So much like Sarah's younger self…

"Your dinner's almost ready," Sarah murmured just as she sat down on Anna's bed. Freddy had stopped crying and was chewing on the ear of Anna's favorite teddy bear.

"Mom, why can't he just leave my stuff alone? I hate it!" Anna whined, staring at her mother through the mirror.

Sarah knew that Anna hated her. She preferred her father, who got her everything she wanted. She wanted to go and live with him, but Sarah wouldn't allow it. She had fought for custody of her kids, and wasn't giving them up now. Besides, Anna and Freddy stayed with their father every weekend.

Sarah plucked the teddy out of Freddy's unresisting hands and set it on her bed again. Freddy was about to bawl again, but she handed him a piece of chocolate to amuse him.

"I'll help you with that piece you need to learn," Sarah said to Anna, who was barely listening to her. She was reading a little book she had found in Sarah's room. Hidden in a shoebox under her bed, beneath a pile of old newspaper. The book itself was so fascinating. It was about a Labyrinth, an adventure. Anna loved adventures, but she was never going to experience one. Never in a million years. She could only dream.

"What is that?" Sarah asked as she set Freddy on Anna's bed and got up. Anna stood up quickly and hid the little book behind her back.

"Nothing… Dad got me it," She replied, but Sarah was already trying to pry it out of Anna's hands.

"I want to see it…" Sarah smiled and plucked it out of her hands.

"Anna!" She gasped, staring at the little red book in disbelief. "Where did you get this? You've been looking through my stuff again haven't you?"

"No…" Anna lied.

"Yes you have!" Sarah fumed and stuffed the book into her pocket. She picked Freddy up, and walked swiftly out of the room before slamming the door shut. "No supper, Anna! Maybe that'll teach you to stay out of my stuff!" Sarah had yelled as she walked up to the kitchen.

"It's not fair!" Anna screamed and hid her face in her hands. She began to weep, her body trembling. Why was her mother so cruel to her? Why couldn't she go live with Dad? Sarah wasn't right in the head. She didn't want to live with her deranged mother anymore. She took weird pills three times a day along with anti-depressants. According to her dad, she had been taking them since she was fifteen. She'd had a dream that sent her mental, apparently. She hadn't been right since.

Anna sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. Her mascara was down her cheeks and her lipstick was smudged. It was then her cell phone buzzed obnoxiously and started to play her favorite song. She picked it up and stared at the screen. It was an unknown number. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she hit the green button and put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

* * *

Sarah swallowed her pills grudgingly before putting half of the pasta in the pot into a plastic tub. Anna's half of their supper, which she would probably just shove in the microwave when Sarah was sound asleep. Sarah wasn't hungry anymore. Her anti-psychotic medication just made her feel bloated and the anti-depressants made her feel even number with each passing day. Sarah was thirty two years old and had spent the past seventeen years slowly getting number and number, all because of that little red book in her pocket.

If she was still as young and naïve as Anna was; she would probably be yelling 'it's not fair' as well. No, it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Toby died from meningitis not long after the doctor declared Sarah psychotic. She had 'saved' Toby from the 'Labyrinth' for him to die little over a month later. She blamed her 'imaginary friend' for Toby's death. If she wasn't feeling so numb, she would have sworn that 'he' had enchanted him while 'he had him in his clutches'. But of course, as her psychologist said, none of that could ever have happened. She could practically see him putting sarcastic inverted commas over the more theatrical parts of her stories.

Though, it didn't matter anymore. She was crazy. She had learned to accept that after Toby's death.

She couldn't even remember why she had bothered fighting custody for her kids, when one of them hated her and the other reminded her too much of the half-brother she had once wished away. Sarah sighed, and rubbed her eyes with her hands. She was tired. Tired of everything. Sometimes she dreamed of suicide. She told her psychologist this and he had her anti-depressants dosage pumped up. That really did put her off telling that man anything, if his main aim in life was to make all of his patients numb to life so they could die naturally and peacefully.

Freddy was finished throwing his food around the kitchen so she picked him up and took him back to the nursery. She really couldn't be bothered trying to force feed a child that didn't want to be fed. He found it so much more fun to rub into her hair or plaster the walls with it anyway. Besides, it was Friday. Andrew would be around first thing in the morning to pick up Anna and Freddy anyway. Then she would have the whole weekend to lie in her bed and stare at the ceiling, wanting to cry more than anything. But of course, she was too numb to cry. There wasn't enough feeling in her to conjure up the emotions needed for crying.

After leaving the nursery, she ran herself a bath. Stripping herself of her clothing, she sunk into the hot relaxing water and closed her eyes. In the end, it was her lack of emotion that made Andrew split up with her. She never smiled, laughed or even cried. Not once. But she was sure that it was her lack of desire for sex that was the final straw. Besides, she was sure she was bedding the sexy single lady that lived next door to him anyway. Her theory was proven correct anyway. Three months after parting ways, she moved in with him. Sarah hadn't even caught her name.

Anna viewed that woman as her mother. And a mother she was to Anna. She doted over her, did her hair, gossiped about boys, helped her with piano and took her shopping. Not to mention going to every play she had been in. The woman was unemployed, unlike Sarah, who worked most days except weekends. Sarah never doted over Anna, did her hair, gossiped about boys or took her shopping. The reason was because Anna wouldn't let her. The only thing she would let Sarah do was help her with piano. Anna had rejected Sarah a long time ago and that was never going to change, not if she was going to be eternally numb.

Sarah had thought on many occasions to stop taking her pills, but the thought of emotion scared her. The pills lulled her into a sense of security; she always knew that they would make her feel numb and never would they backfire. She'd spent seventeen years numb and she didn't know what it was like to feel anything. Sure, every now and again, there would be the ghost of a spark of happiness or sadness. Just like when she took that little red book from Anna's hand. She remembered that ghost of a spark of an emotion she didn't recognize. Somewhere between happiness, shock and hurt.

Happy because she loved that book more than anything. She hadn't seen it in years and it was a memoir of a younger, happier girl. Shock because she never expected Anna to have it, or take interest in it. Hurt because it was exactly what led to her being diagnosed psychotic.

Seventeen years ago, after she and Toby had been returned from the Underground, her 'friends' (being Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus) failed to visit her again. Nor did the Goblin King himself return to belittle Sarah, as she beat his game, and he of course was probably pissed off. No, she never saw one of them again. Then she made the worst mistake of her life. She told someone of her adventure within the Labyrinth. That person then made her tell the story again and again, until it was a well known fact around the school that Sarah Williams had completely lost her marbles.

After her diagnosis of psychosis, she began a trial term of anti-psychotic drugs to stop the delusions and the idea that she had ever ventured into a place called the Underground. The drugs worked. Sarah began questioning herself whether she really had ever been to the Underground. Of course, she was stubborn and was absolutely positive that she had.

Then Toby died; and Sarah fell into a deep depression. She still believed that she had rescued Toby, and after his death, it seemed all for nothing. She finally accepted that she never did go to a place called the Underground and had her anti-depression pills put onto a repeat prescription cycle. Her doctor was worried that she would be too numb but kept her on the drugs anyway because he even could see in her eyes that spark of fear in her eyes at the thought of being able to feel again.

The sound of Freddy crying echoed through the house like he was in a cave. Sarah ignored him, knowing that Anna would get him. Anna loved her brother, despite the nasty things she said. Sarah knew that Freddy was only familiar thing Anna could depend on seeing every day.

Five minutes must have passed, and Sarah could still hear Freddy crying. She decided that Anna was huffing or something, and was refusing to help Sarah in any way. So, Sarah got out of the bath, pulled the plug and dried herself. She wrapped the towel around her and exited the bathroom. Freddy was still wailing whenever Sarah entered the nursery. She picked him up and balanced him on her hip. Now he decided he was hungry. Fantastic.

On her way to the kitchen, Sarah pushed open Anna's door, while yelling, "Why didn't you go help your brother, Anna? Why are you being so selfish?"

But it wasn't worth it. Anna wasn't in her bedroom… or the music room, or Sarah's room, or the ensuite bathroom. She wasn't anywhere in the house, so Sarah decided she must have gone over to her friend's house across the street.

After successfully feeding Freddy, he put him in his cot and he fell asleep almost instantly. Sarah smiled at the sleeping child before shutting of the light and closing the door. Freddy still had his nightlight on so he wouldn't be scared of the dark.

After all, what was there in the dark to be afraid of?

* * *

Her head was pounding when Anna woke up. She didn't even notice she'd fallen asleep. Her eyes couldn't adjust to the dim flicker of orange light at first, but when they did, she gasped at what she saw.

She was in a circular room. The walls were made of stone but beautiful tapestries covered most of the bare stone and the floor was a mosaic, but a rug covered most of it. She was lying on a small brass bed with a single sheet covering what looked like a couple of bundles of hay that served as the mattress. There was steel grey blanket covering her and small feather pillow under her head. Directly opposite her was a large window, no glass, merely just a giant circle in the wall. But yet she felt no breeze.

In front of that window, was a desk and chair. On it was a single book that looked a lot like the one Anna had stolen from her mother's things. She knew for a fact that it was that little book that made Sarah crazy, but she couldn't understand what exactly it was about it that made her lose her grasp on reality.

The last thing she noticed was the man sitting on the chair that belonged to the desk. She jumped, startled and unsure. Shouldn't she have noticed that she had company long before she noticed everything else? Why had she not seen him sooner?

"Good evening," the man voiced, "Sarah."

Anna couldn't see his face; the candle only provided so much light. Why did he call her Sarah though? How did this man know her mother? Did she look like Sarah? Hardly, Anna was much younger than her mother. Anna couldn't help but wonder where she was either.

"My name is Anna," she whispered, fear eating at her. "Sarah is my mom. Who are you?"

The silhouette froze for a long moment, and that scared Anna. Did she say something wrong?

"You are not Sarah Williams. You are her daughter, Anna," the man murmured. "However that does not matter because, I have a gift for you, dearest Anna."

"You do?" Anna grinned. "What is it?"

The man held a small crystal ball in front of the single candle lighting the room. He began rolling it from his palm to his knuckles, repeating the motion over and over. Anna gaped at the illusion, wondering how he could ever do such a thing.

"It's a crystal," he replied, "nothing more. But if you look at this way," he stopped rolling it and held it between his thumb and forefinger, "it will show you your dreams. This is not a gift for an ordinary girl. Do you want it?"

The grin that was plastered on her face didn't falter, "Do I want it? Of course I do!"

The man threw the crystal ball at Anna and she caught it. She couldn't see it very well but once the man left, she would study it more carefully next to the candle light.

"Excellent," Anna could almost hear the smirk in the man's voice. "But in order for that little crystal to show what you wish to see, you must do something for me."

Anna's eyes narrowed at him, "What?"

"You are fifteen now, correct?"

Anna nodded.

"Good, then we are both adults here then," he said, "well more you than I. However, I want your mother and you will get me her. The first thing you must do is to get me those horrible pills she taints her heart with."

Anna's eyebrows furrowed, "Wait, who are you first?"

"I am no one, Anna, simply just a man who has been looking for your mother for a long time," he replied.

"Why do I have to get rid of her pills?"

"Do you not care that your mother is slowly dying because of the medication she willfully ingests?"

Anna swallowed and her eyes dropped to the floor. If she was being honest with herself, she thought it would be better for everyone if Sarah passed on. Sarah was a sunken ship that couldn't be brought back to the surface. Even Anna knew that Sarah had thought about killing herself. Anna would never have reacted positively to the thought, but she wouldn't reject it either. If Sarah decided to take her own life, then Anna respected it.

The man rose from his seat and began to approach Anna carefully, not wanting to startle her. She could see him better now that the candlelight wasn't behind him. He looked; well to be blunt, strange. The downward slant of his eyebrows, the sliver of silver beneath those arched brows, the mismatched eyes and the hard line his lips were set into; they all combined into the exotic features that made up his face.

He sat down next to her on the bed, but Anna shied away from him. There was something about him that her body was instinctively intimidated by.

"Anna," his voice had the smooth twist of an English accent that gave a sort of authoritative tone. "Since you have accepted my gift, I have searched through every thought and memory your little mortal mind have ever known. Why should you let your mother die, when you could simply give her to someone who would never interfere with your life again? I give you my word, that if you succeed in destroying Sarah Williams' medication, you can keep that crystal and never will you see your mother again. I promise you, it will be like she never existed."


	2. A Great and Terrible Game

**Chapter Two: A Great and Terrible Game**

Sarah awoke that morning like she did most mornings. She awoke from a blindingly dark nightmare of a dream that didn't bother her in the slightest. Of course, she could feel nothing so she rose from her bed and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

Anna and Freddy were gone. Andrew never disturbed her when he came to pick up the kids. He just came, threw them and their stuff in his car and zoomed off to the theme park with his wife. None of it mattered much to Sarah; she never felt left out.

It was only when she realized that all of her pills were missing from the counter, she felt mildly surprised. Where had they gone? Did Anna throw them in the trashcan whenever she came home last night? Sarah sighed, deciding that she could wait until Monday before she went and got her script refilled.

* * *

"Exactly what I thought," Jareth murmured both legs thrown over the arm of his throne. He held the tubs of pills in both hands; staring at each of them in turn, intently. He opened the tub of anti-psychotic pills and scooped one out. He laid it on his tongue. Before any of goblins, who were of course in various places around the throne room in a chaotic mass of arguments and chatter, realized; Jareth was on the floor, choking and writhing in pain.

None of the goblins understood what was wrong so a healer was called to tend to Jareth. His life was in no danger as he was next to immortal. However, he was forced to stay in his bed for the rest of the day to recover.

Jareth was ecstatic however, that he finally figured out why he could not make contact with Sarah in the past seventeen human years. He had waited triple that time however. There was no logical explanation to how the time differentiated between the human realm and the supernatural, but he had spent so long dreaming of the girl that had beaten him in his own game. He had been so angry, so humiliated… But time changed that. The pain of humiliation and anger soon turned to passion and then that passion into obsession. That undying obsession slowly changed into something else… something we would recognize as love.

Love was a concept widely understood within the realm of the supernatural. It was a type magic that linked them with the human race. Love was only link they shared with them, and through that link, they had brought many humans to the Underground. Once a human fell in love with one of the supernatural, then they could pass through the barriers into that realm where they would be trapped forever. Of course, the Fae had figured out centuries ago that mortal love was a very weak magic and was usually mistaken for lust. But once a human had wrongly decided that their lust was obsessive undying love, then they could pass.

Of course, there were ancient laws that bypassed the magic of love. Children for one could be brought into the supernatural realm when someone wished them away. And then there were those who had succeeded in beating the Labyrinth. They could also have the choice to stay as well.

Within region of the Unseelie Court, usually humans were the ones that tended to the needs of the Fae that resided there. Humans had no rights there. The human women were nothing more than fertile soil for men to plant their seed. Unfortunately, the fertility of the Unseelie Fae had very much decreased over the past millennia, while those of the Seelie Court's fertility increased. An Unseelie Fae's egg required a stronger fertilizer. Humans were perfect in that case. They were very fertile, man or woman, it didn't matter. The child would be a fully fledged Fae. There were no half human, half Fae creatures. The Fae's genetics were dominant over human genes.

It was extremely rare if a Fae fell in love with a human. The Fae had not felt love in a long time; none of them could describe that kind of powerful magic. Jareth never told a soul of his love and yearning for Sarah. He had wondered for years why he could not see her within his crystal, peek at her through her bedroom mirror or even visit her in the light of the moon. Anytime he had tried, she was not there. That was until; he had spotted the young girl on the phone to her friend.

She looked so much like Sarah that he was taken aback. He fell in his owl form from the tree and landed in the soft grass below. He took the girl back to the Goblin City with him. She was still a child, and could still freely roam between barriers.

He was startled when he learned that the young girl that looked so much like Sarah, was not Sarah; but in fact, her fifteen year old daughter Anna. So, he offered her a crystal. If she accepted his gift, he could flit through her thoughts and memories and see the older Sarah through younger eyes. He was astonished at how much Sarah had changed. She was so much older. She had changed, unlike he who remained forever young.

Sarah's brown hair was short and wavy, her brown eyes always frozen and disinterested, her body skinny and wilting away into nothing… Jareth was alarmed by the state he saw Sarah in. She looked, well, numb. Then he found the memory in Anna's head of her mother taking pills; she had been told that Sarah had been taking them every day since she was fifteen. That explained more than enough.

Some human drugs caused humans to stop seeing the Fae that wandered the earth, and in return, the Fae could not see them either. The human was completely invisible and therefore protected from a supernatural intrusion. Jareth knew if he stopped Sarah taking those drugs for even just a day, he could finally lay his eyes on her again.

He promised the very daughter of his love that she would never see her mother again. He had his word, that Sarah would be dead to Anna. Humans had math, the Fae had words. With the right words, they could figure out the secrets of the supernatural realm; similar to the way humans used math to figure out the secrets of their own realm. The logic behind it was long and confusing to a human mind, however; as was math to any Fae. Both species had their explanations and neither could understand the other's theory.

A Fae's word was his bond; once he promised his word, he could never go back on it.

So he had Anna do the task of bringing him the medication prescribed to Sarah, so he could destroy them himself. As for Anna, she was on the way to some theme park with her father and step-mother.

Thirteen hours left. He smiled to himself, knowing that he would be fully well by that time and more than ready to meet with fate.

* * *

Sarah felt sick to the bone that evening. It had been twenty four hours since her last dosage of mind numbing drugs and now she was more than willing to sedate herself for the rest of the weekend. She had a little heroin hidden somewhere at the back of her wardrobe from her college days exactly for that purpose. She honestly hated using it, and the thought of using it made her nauseous. But sometimes whenever she ran out of her own drugs and was still waiting for her own medication, she would use the heroin to numb herself right down, to the point where she would just fall asleep and not wake up for days.

After eating a leaf of lettuce for supper, she sighed and decided that she was going to stoop right down to the lowest low that night. She grabbed a stepladder and used it to see the highest shelf in her wardrobe. Behind the jewelry box, in a little box she kept a necklace in; underneath the lining, wrapped in a bloodstained tissue was her heroin. Well, that was where she was sure she kept it. She found the necklace box empty; no necklace, no drugs, nothing.

"Was this what you were looking for Sarah?"

She froze. That voice. The voice of her delusions. The voice that drove her into insanity. How she yearned to hear that voice to speak to her, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Even if that voice yelled, belittled or even snarled at her, she wouldn't care. How she loved that voice. How she loved _his_ voice.

Sarah climbed down the stepladder slowly, careful not to trip. She realized then that she had very little covering her bare flesh. She hated sleeping with too many clothes on. They made her feel hot and stuffy. So she wore a vest and her panties. And she had been wearing that ensemble all day, making no effort to get changed.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around towards the source of the voice. Of course he was there. That man, that man who her psychologist insisted wasn't real. That man who stole her brother months before his death. That man that she had yearned to see for such a long time, to tell her that she wasn't dreaming. To tell her that she wasn't crazy.

How could he be imaginary? He looked so real. If anyone walked in right now, they would see him too. She was sure of it.

Jareth was holding up a tiny bag of white powder in one hand. His eyes took her in, but his expression was unfathomable to Sarah. She didn't understand the foreign emotions in his mismatched eyes.

"Or perhaps," he continued, "maybe you were looking for these?"

He used his arm to motion to the dresser. On it sat so many drugs, that Sarah couldn't count. It also had the necklace that had been missing from her wardrobe. Sarah knew that Jareth had raided her house top to bottom looking for everything she had hidden away to make her feel number than she already did. She bit down on her lip and just stared at the floor unsure what to think. It looked so bad whenever all those drugs –legal and illegal– sat there staring her in the face. She only realized it then herself; she was addicted to being numb.

Jareth dropped the little bag of white powder on the dresser and picked up the tub of anti-depressants.

"One of these little tablets has the ability to poison a Fae, if ingested," he mused, "as I have recently discovered. It also had the ability to hide a human from a Fae's sight, and a Fae from a human's sight. My question is, Sarah, why do you take these awful drugs?"

Sarah gulped, "I take them because you aren't real. You're just a delusion that my mind has thought up because I'm lonely."

Jareth shook his head, anger curling his upper lip. "I did not ask for what your _psycho-cologist_ said about why you take those drugs. I asked _you_ why you insist on taking them."

That took her by surprise. How did he know about her psychologist if she he hadn't been able to see her in seventeen years?

"Um," she murmured, unsure of what to say.

Jareth's stance relaxed and his eyes softened as he cautiously approached her, but she moved back. She didn't want to be too close to her delusion. What if he touched her? Would she feel it? She didn't want him to touch her. But to hear his voice once more; she would be more than happy to die then and there.

His expression hardened again and her movement. Why was she so afraid of him? Why did humans not believe? He silently cursed the closed minded race and what they had done to the woman he cared most about.

"I take these pills because Toby died, only a month after I rescued him. I take them because I used to cry every night because I felt that I made the wrong decision. I take them because life isn't fair but it keeps on going anyway. I have a hole in my heart because something I so strongly believed was real just isn't. My pills numb the tender edges of that hole you dug with your shovel of fantasies and dreams. You won't give up. You dig and you dig, but I'm bleeding. We're both going to drown if you keep going. Jareth, I'm not a little girl anymore. You're just a delusion. Let's face it, I'm crazy."

Sarah's quiet voice remained quiet and unemotional as she spoke to him. But there was something on the edge of it; Jareth could just about hear it. Was that hysteria he heard?

Her numbness was fading. Seventeen years of complete apathy could be lost in as little as forty-eight hours. Jareth knew this and was planning on staying with Sarah until that time came. She had to know what it was like to feel again.

"I cannot touch you, Sarah," he told her very gently. "Not for another twenty-four hours."

"You can't stop me then," she stated and smiled very weakly. She moved somewhat cautiously around Jareth and picked up her anti-depressants from the dresser.

He stood there, his face disinterested and somewhat passive. There was disappointment somewhere deep in his mismatched eyes. Sarah could see it clearly. But she didn't care. So what if her imaginary friend was disappointed in her. He was no one. She was no one. Together, they were still no one.

"No, I cannot," he murmured, a smirk playing on the corner's of his lips. "But what I can do, is much more terrifying."

Out of thin air, a crystal materialized on the palm of his hand. Sarah gasped a little, still a little shocked at how sharp and perfect her delusion was. She watched the crystal, waiting for him to start rolling it in his hands to create an illusion that astounded her every time she remembered it. She had tried to master it on countless occasions, only to fail every time.

But this time, he did not start playing with it. It lay in the palm of his gloved hand and he offered it to her.

"Look into this," he said and took a step closer. Sarah, clearly uninterested as she tried to pull the cap off of the plastic tub of pills, ignored him. For some reason the lid wouldn't budge. Then she heard the hissy snickering of countless little demons that followed their master wherever he went. Sarah turned around and glared at him, but the glare itself was feeble and half-hearted. Her eyes caught the crystal he was holding and she gasped.

"Anna!" She cried. The crystal held the image of her daughter's curious face, like she was trying to see into it. "What have you done?"

"What has she done?!" Jareth hissed and pulled the crystal back, covering Anna's face with his black gloved hand. "You are so quick to blame another for your own mistakes, Sarah! If anything, your daughter has been absolutely helpful to me."

"Why?" Sarah mumbled. "Why do you need her?"

"I do not," he shrugged, "she has already done what I have asked her and in return I gave her, her dreams. Now, isn't that generous?"

The words echoed in her head and brought so many memories to the surface, she felt like she was drowning. Sparks of emotion were breaking through her barriers of numbness, and with those emotions, they surfaced memories. Anxiety had pervaded Sarah's stomach at the thought that she would be able to feel in a matter of hours. One hundred percent raw emotion and all of the pain that came with it.

"That little girl is the version of you I suspected I would meet, all those years ago. Fascinated by toys and costumes; her little baby brother bawling, and bawling until she would lose her mind. She would wish him away and then the goblins would do their duty. I would come, of course, and offer a crystal of her dreams, in exchange for her baby brother. She would nod eagerly and take the crystal. I would promise that it would be like he never existed. I would reorder time and move the stars for that one little girl, simply because she wanted her dreams. I do not judge those who wish to accomplish their dreams. I would even go as far to say that I admire their courage."

"You only admire them because you always win," Sarah spat, hate slightly coloring her tone, "no matter whether they choose to challenge you or let you get away with stealing their relatives!"

Jareth grinned, but it was not one of happiness. Dark humor blackened that sharp toothed grin, and Sarah could clearly see the cruelty in his eyes.

"Au contraire, I have never stolen a child, simply granted the wishes of those who wanted to rid themselves of the burden," he said sneeringly. He walked over to her bed, kicked off his boots and threw himself on it, like it was his own bed. He was the perfect picture of relaxation. "However, enough of me. If you even dare to touch any of those poisons, I will crack this crystal and little Anna's dreams will be crushed. She will be sent to my castle and stay there forever, because she's unworthy in her mother's eyes. Anna wouldn't deserve someone to run the Labyrinth for her."

Sarah's breath caught in her throat. If she had been fifteen herself at that moment in time, she would be wailing and yelling '_It's not fair!_'But she wasn't fifteen. She was thirty two years old with a bigger responsibility than looking after herself. She was a mother, despite her child hated her. It was her duty to protect her offspring, no matter what pain it caused. If she had to suffer for Anna's sake, she would take it. Her mothering instincts were kicking in.

"No," Sarah pleaded weakly, "leave Anna alone… _Take me instead._"

Jareth grinned, revealing all of his sparkling white, _sharp_ teeth. That grin was one of dark amusement. As a mother, she could see the childish excitement in his eyes. He hadn't changed a bit, despite the years. He was still a spoiled brat, always getting what he wanted. But what differentiated him from a five year old, was that he was clever. He knew what made mortals tick, especially parents.

"Are you sure, Sarah?" Jareth mused, "It's _only_ forever, not long at all. The time would simply fly by and you would be long dead by the time Anna would even realize she was trapped."

Jareth was bluffing, but this was unknown to Sarah. Time passed far quicker in the Underground that it did on Earth.

Sarah gulped and shook her head, "I don't care. It's me you want. I'm not dragging my daughter into your terrible game."

* * *

She was still a little dazed about the dream she'd had that night. One thing that really shocked Anna was that she forgot to put her pajamas on, and that she'd awoken early that morning sprawled across her bedroom floor. In her hand, she found herself clutching a small crystal ball, similar to the one that exotic man in her dream had given her. He said it would show her, her dreams. However, only if she gave the man what he wanted. And what he wanted was her mother's medication.

Sarah was never up any earlier than ten on a weekend. Anna knew right well that Sarah suffered from insomnia and usually lay in her bed all night staring at the ceiling, not feeling compelled to do anything. Her mother's mind was a dark and misty pit that was never clear. Her thoughts were dysfunctional, her smiles half-hearted, her eyes dark and disinterested and her appearance, tired and bland. Sarah Williams was a ghost, lost and lonely and never moving on. Anna supposed that it could have been worse. Her mother could be a drunk and neurotic; rather than quiet, numb and passive.

The pills Anna sought were not hidden but in plain sight. As numb as Sarah was, she wasn't overly imaginative or creative in anything. So her pills were left on the kitchen counter next to the toaster, where they would never escape her sight. Anna picked up the two tubs of pills and shoved them in her pocket.

_How am I supposed to give these to that man? I don't even know who he is;_ she wondered and bit down on her bottom lip. Why was she even doing it? Why was she placing so much trust in a complete stranger?

_He can make her better_; was her answer to that question. But she had his word that Sarah would be dead to her. What did he mean?

Little did she know that Jareth's plans were above the highest height her imagination could climb.


	3. Always

**Chapter Three: Always**

_Stairs, so many stairs. Up and down, left and right. Bones are aching. Heart is pounding. Eyes are weeping and a voice is singing. The emotion that rivets from my soul is breaking me. My mind is collapsing, my bones are breaking and I'm falling. No one is there to catch me. Not this time. Never has anyone been there below to catch me as I fall._

Sarah tossed violently again in her sleep. Her hands clutched the roots of her short brown hair, and her torso arched towards the ceiling. Her eyes were closed so tightly and her lips were crumpled into a grimace. She was in so much pain. Jareth could only watch through winced eyes. He shook his head a little as her body spasmed and contorted so horribly. He had tried to calm her through her dreams, by sending her through endless mazes. It only seemed to make her more agitated however. The emotion poured from her soul for the first time in seventeen years. He told himself over and over that it could only get worse before it could get better.

He sat next to where she lay on her bed. He could go without a night's slumber for weeks at a time. Just because he needed to rest was no excuse for an unruly Labyrinth to go ungoverned for a few hours. The Labyrinth never rested. He had power of the giant maze but only had so grudgingly. If he ever relaxed his rule a little too much, Jareth could wind up in the Bog of Eternal Stench before he could blink. That was why he always slept with one eye open, so the Labyrinth knew that he was in charge. Unfortunately, his pupil had dilated from exposure to air for too long and had failed to decrease in size again.

Sarah screamed again but the sound was somewhat strangled. It was the scream of a little girl who couldn't wake up.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Anna was sure that it far too early for it to be her Dad and a little bolt of anxiety shot up her spine. The knock was quiet, not loud and obnoxious. It was probably the milkman; Anna thought and relaxed a little. He needed paid this week. She walked up the hall towards the front door. Once she got there, she recognized the silhouette through the rippled glass door almost immediately. It was that man who was no one. The one who would take her mother away forever.

Anna opened the door and her intake of breath was sudden. It was definitely him; definitely him who called himself no one. He looked exactly like she remembered; just like he had been pulled out of a fairytale. He wore a tight, blue leather, long-sleeved top with frilly sleeves, and black gloves hid his long fingers. Over of the skin-tight top was shiny black armor that protected the front and back of his torso, as well as his shoulders. He wore extremely tight black pants that only covered his thighs but failed to hide the fine cords of muscle of his lean legs. On his feet were knee length black boots with a bit of heel, but not much.

"Good morning, Anna," he smiled gently but his eyes remained hard. "Have you fulfilled your side of the bargain?"

Anna nodded once, stiffly.

Jareth grinned, showing all his abnormally white and sharp teeth. Anna was taken a back a little but she could have sworn she was still dreaming, so said nothing.

"May I come in?" Jareth asked politely.

Again, Anna could only nod.

Jareth passed through the barrier of the residential home with a smirk on his face. He could not enter the homes he had not been invited into. Lucky for him, his magic was better that stupid human protection spells and he could still transport children to and from the Goblin City. Of course, he could enter once a person wished a child away. The barrier would break, therefore allowing him entry.

"Very… quaint," he murmured as he scrutinized the family home.

Anna pushed her hand deep into her pocket and handed him her mother's medication. Jareth took the tablets from her and his smile only grew wider.

"Thank you, darling," he bent his tall frame down to her height. Anna was quite a bit shorter than Sarah when she was fifteen. "Do you still have that crystal?" His cold breath blew into her face but it had no scent. It was like sniffing ice.

Anna nodded again and pulled the crystal ball from her other pocket. Jareth nodded, satisfied.

"Tell me something else, little girl," he asked, his voice at a casual conversation volume. "Does your mother have anything else she ingests when she wishes to feel number than she already does?"

Anna's brows furrowed, and suddenly it hit her.

"You're him aren't you?" She gasped, "You're the Goblin King!"

He was from that little red book that supposedly driven her mother into insanity. When she was Anna's age too! Oh good Lord, what had she done? She was helping her mother's delusion!

"You won't take him will you? You only want Sarah?" Anna almost begged.

He couldn't take Freddy. She hadn't wished him away, so how could he? Why else would he be here? She was almost certain that he was playing with her; that he didn't want Sarah, but was trying to trick her into wishing Freddy away.

His eyebrows rose and he smirked, "Why, whoever would you be talking about?"

Anna shook her head and mumbled something intelligible under her breath. And then a childish wail echoed through the silent early morning house. Anna silently cursed Freddy as Jareth's smirk widened and walked down the hall, towards the nursery. The slight heel of his boots tapped against the wooden floor, in an almost hypnotic rhythm. She followed him, anxiety crawling through her. But by the time she had entered the nursery; Jareth had already quieted the screaming child and was holding him in his arms.

Freddy gurgled in delight at the strange man bobbing him up and down. He was three years old with fine curly blond hair and dark brown eyes. It was a strange combination of genetics; usually brown hair was dominant over blond, but then again it could darken over time. Freddy looked an awful lot like Sarah, and Anna for that matter. Time could only tell what he was going to turn out like.

"Well, aren't you a handsome little fellow?" Jareth cooed with a little smile on his face. He was completely oblivious to Anna in that moment. Somewhere behind his arrogance, there was paternal instinct despite he had never been a father to any children, in this life anyway. He was only an adoptive father to children that had been so carelessly wished away by their parents and relatives. He had spent centuries looking out for mortal infants, from newborns to seventeen year olds. Learning from them, and they too learnt from him. All of those myths of children being turned into goblins; he scoffed at the lot of them. Goblins could not be created by the fey. They had their place somewhere between the Seelie and Unseelie Court. Just like Jareth.

Children that had been wished away from their parents, they were given a happier life. Their souls were sent back to the stars to wait for another host human. Jareth made sure that the stars were aligned correctly, to make sure the certain abused soul was given a loved host body. Everyone deserved to be loved. Maybe not every time they lived a mortal life, but definitely every other time at least.

He had grown jealous of mortals over the passing years. After watching each soul depart for the stars, and then make the return journey back to earth; he envied their mortality. They had millions of chances at a millions different lives. While he only had a few. They never remembered their previous lives. He remembered each with startling detail. Jareth's life was long, stretched over millennia's until his son was of age to rule the Labyrinth and the Goblin City. And then he would be reborn again, as his son's son. That was the way it always was. His son was his father, and his father was his son. When Jareth would manage to impregnate a woman, his father would die, and be reborn his son. It wasn't fair, but that was just the way it was. And he had spent his overly long life teaching mortals exactly that.

Long and complicated, Jareth had long put off ever bedding a woman, despite his probable infertility. His father had been after him for centuries, growing bored with his old age. His father wanted to be reborn again. If Jareth was ever totally honest with himself, he had grown tired with the endless cycle of his life. He was born the Goblin King, and would remain that way for the rest of eternity.

However, there was a whisper in the air. A whisper he had been hearing every now and again, that only caught his attention a second too late. That whisper was more than likely prophecy. None of the Fae understood prophecy and had learned to ignore it, because usually chasing after prophecies was like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But this prophecy, over the fleeting years, Jareth had gathered enough of the words to make a coherent phrase.

'_The hardest to love are those who need it most._'

He didn't understand the words. But then he believed he hadn't picked up on some of the words, or perhaps he had the words in the wrong order. How could those words be written into his future? They were words of advice, nothing more. How could they be something that was bound to be fulfilled?

Jareth had pondered endlessly over sleepless nights of those words. What if he did succeed in loving someone who needed it most? Loving a stubborn person perhaps? A person whose name popped into his mind at that thought was Sarah's, and since that day, he had been looking for her. Seventeen years of endlessly searching the world, for a ghost that couldn't be seen. After he had not seen her in her parent's house little over a year after she had beaten his Labyrinth, he searched the world; human's had a tendency to move to new places. But he could never find her.

Until that one night when he got lucky. Prophecy was on his side alas. But he still couldn't understand, would anything happen if achieved in loving one who needed it most?

* * *

_I can feel my bones shake as if they are going to give in at any moment. The walls I have built up in my head to save myself from insanity; they are trembling at the waves of emotion pouring from my soul. Those walls have protected me for so long against the sea of feeling behind them. Now the tides have changed, the winds have picked up and the waves crash against those walls. _

_The ocean beats against those barriers, waiting for them to finally cave in. Those walls are there for the protection of my sanity but they came with a consequence. I am empty, always. I can eat for days on end and never feel full. I can starve myself for a limitless time-span without feeling hunger. There is just an emptiness that lingers in my stomach, always. _

_I try not to remember the days when I was sane. I try not to think of the days where my heart could take the emotion my soul conjured up. I cannot imagine what life would be like if he had never taken Toby. My bones feel like glass. They have been shattered once. I managed to repair them, but the cracks still show. I cannot imagine what would happen if I were to fall again._

In her dream, Sarah was on the floor and staring at the sun through a small barred hole in the ceiling. She was trapped in a hole; an oubliette to be exact. The forgetting place. Her eyes narrowed at the radiant rays of sunshine shining through the bars. It had been a long time since she had felt the sun on her skin. She at peace, for the moment. The oubliette in her dream was where she had put herself for a moment, just to forget.

Soon the sky would grow dark again, and the tsunami would drown her. Her muscles would spasm and cramp, her lungs would burn and her heat would feel as if it was going to burst. It could only get worse before it could get better.

Jareth however, was somewhere at the back of his mind, preventing the Labyrinth from causing an uprising in his absence. Though, he was only doing this to pass the time. His father was keeping his eye on the Labyrinth and the Goblin City, like he always did when Jareth was called away. Jareth's father was a lord in the Seelie Court, while his mother was a lady of the Unseelie Court. It had always been like that. For generations, his paternal relatives were Summer Fey, while his maternal were cold, distant Winter Fey. Destiny tied him to finding a lady from the Unseelie Court. Once he had impregnated her, his father would die and Jareth would take his place in the Seelie Court.

There could only be one king of the goblins. His heir would be next in line for his throne. But still, being the spoiled and arrogant brat he was, he was stubborn. He didn't want to give up his throne. He would rather be a ruler than a court dweller. He had watched his father for so long; growing so horribly bored with the Seelie Court over the years, there was just no inclination for him to take his place there.

He always had another choice.

Lady Acantha of the Unseelie Court was his mother. He admired her greatly. His father was weak willed man with no power. Lady Acantha _made_ her voice be heard in the Unseelie Court, and most listened to her over the queen. Queen Titania of the Unseelie Court was like Jareth's father; weak willed with no power. She was the queen by law, but in reality, Lady Acantha had far more power than she.

Jareth could choose to succeed his mother, whenever his heir was born. He was in neutral territory but someday he would have to choose. He could side with destiny and become a lord in the Seelie Court. He would only choose that if he was a coward and a coward he was not. For years, Jareth had planned to double cross fate, and join what he humorously referred to as the dark side. But until that day, he would remain the Goblin King. Until that day, he refused to meet with any Unseelie woman, not wanting to fall into temptation.

His plans were deep and complicated. He had so many, and could only hope that Sarah would comply. She too was weaved into the pattern of his plans to double cross destiny. She had been since he first laid eyes on her, those impossibly long seventeen years ago. The first step was bringing her out of her emptiness, as he could not touch her whilst she was under the influence of drugs. The second step was to make Sarah fall in love with him. For if he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return then the prophecy would be complete. For the past seventeen years he had fallen into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love him?

However, he had already learned to love her. He was certain that he loved her, wasn't he?

'_I take them because I used to cry every night because I felt that I made the wrong decision._'

Sarah's words rang through his head over and over. What did she mean by them? What was the 'wrong decision' she made? Why did she cry about it? He didn't understand. Despite looking after mortal children for lifetimes, he did not know an awful lot about mortals. They were shallow, clueless and the fey didn't really understand their way of life. Though, the fey had moulded the humans' lived life behind the scenes.

It didn't matter what Sarah wanted. She was a human. Humans could not tell the difference between love and lust, and once she had decided her lust for him was love then the prophecy would be completed. Sarah's soul had already lived millions of times before; it would make no difference if he were to take her life and tie his strings around it. It would not matter if he manipulated or hurt her, because she would never remember it.

It was he would have to live with the guilt.

* * *

**A/N: Awk, hello you beautiful people, reading my story. Shucks, I'm touched! I'd like to take this opportunity to say, thank you to those who have reviewed and those (yes, I know you're out there) who are hiding behind the scenes reading, and subscribing to this rather dark and heavy piece of fluff. **

**This chapter is just adding more depth to Jareth. Honestly, it's so much easier writing him than Sarah or Anna. Anyway, please (I'm begging you) read and review!**


	4. The Only Exception

_**Content Warning:** Teenie weenie bit sexual at the start. Promise, nothing too explicit but better safe than sorry_

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Only Exception**

Four years ago, Anna remembered her mom and dad taking her to the park. Sarah was pregnant. Andrew was hung over. Anna was eleven. Each of them were happy in their own little way during that day in the park. The sun shone. The birds flew and the lingering scent of freshly cut grass was in the air. Sarah was somewhat more human when she and Andrew were together. Despite being together since college, they had never even thought once about getting married. They were 'happy' the way they were.

At eleven years old, the world seemed a much more gay and tranquil place. Every cloud had a silver lining. There was nothing foreboding in the works. Anna never noticed how seriously ill her mother was. Sarah was high, for most of Anna's youth. She had varieties of stimulants, opioids and hallucinogens. Sarah could never get the right dosage of each. The anti-depressants made her numb, but they made her too numb. She didn't want to be cold and passive towards her boyfriend and child. So she took the stimulants to make her feel better. Most of her stimulants were illegal however.

Andrew knew someone who could get her the stimulants. That was why she stuck with him for so long. Whenever he put his foot down, saying something about how they had no more money for her addictions and that she needed help; Sarah moved onto hallucinogens. They were cheaper and she could get them herself. It seemed a bit backward though. She took her prescribed anti-psychotic drugs to stop the delusions but spent most of her late twenties talking to the stars on her window.

Whenever she hit thirty, she just stopped taking anything that wasn't prescribed to her, unless it was an 'emergency'. That was when Andrew took the 'who-gets-the-kids' argument to court. Sarah won the kids but she didn't know how. She couldn't afford a good attorney. From thirty to thirty two, Sarah's life hit rock bottom. She was a ghost. She needed help but no one heard her cries.

But now, for the first time in seventeen years, the pain had engulfed and paralyzed her body. Her stomach lurched and she had thrown up several times. She could have sworn Jareth had done something to speed up the process of removing every ghost of a drug that been in her system. Never before had she had such awful withdrawal symptoms. Her body had grown dependant on those drugs she had been taking for so long; it could barely function without them, not even for forty-eight hours.

She was so itchy. It was driving her crazy. The itchiness broke her state of paralysis. The dried blood that had caked under her fingernails had fallen out and been replaced by new skin and blood, so many times that her mattress was covered it. She had torn off the vest and panties she had been wearing and was scratching in places she knew she would regret in the morning. Not only would it hurt, but Jareth was watching her every move. Watching as she scratched her skin raw with her nails; watching as her hands frantically descended and ascended over her body. She was naked, and the duvet was on the floor. Jareth lay next to her, simply watching and never touching.

She could see his only open eye reflect the ray of streetlight shining between the blinds. She wasn't sure if he was awake or asleep. She wasn't sure if _she _was awake or asleep. She wasn't sure if she was numb or in utter agony. What had she done? She had destroyed herself. All because she told someone about Jareth. She couldn't keep her mouth shut. She couldn't keep a secret. She couldn't know something and never speak of it again.

Whilst Sarah was writhing somewhere between conscious and unconsciousness, somewhere in her mind, she yearned for that man next to her to touch her. To sooth her. To wipe her greasy hair from her sweaty face. She wanted him to carry her to the bathtub, and fill it with beautifully warm water. He would gently place her in it and pick up a washcloth. He would rinse it and gently, oh so gently, caress her body with it. He would wipe away all of the dried blood from her tired form. Once he would have washed her hair, she would pick up his hand and guide him. She would let him touch her, and he would want too. Her lips would part as a little moan of affection escaped her throat as his warm and calloused hand touched her breast.

Of course, it was only a dream. Her first honest dream, since she was fifteen years old; not something she forced herself to imagine, such as the oubliette earlier. She splendored in it and her fingernails grazed gently the V where her ribs met. In her dream it was his hand. Her other hand had already cupped her breast and was kneading it softly. She could feel. She needed someone to hurt her so much that all the mental agony she was facing could be converted to physical. And once that physical agony was gone, she would have no more pain. But only if she could convert into something else, such a lust and expel it that way… how could she manage that?

Jareth had accidentally fallen asleep sometime after the sixth morning hour had passed. Watching Sarah had worn him out mentally. But of course, he slept with one eye open. Force of habit, he guessed. But he could still see. Behind his dreams, he could still see Sarah's body. She had kicked her duvet off the bed, as well as the minimal clothing she wore. Her body was covered in red patches where she had scratched her skin raw. Thin red lines streaked her too-thin form as well. She had unconsciously made herself bleed. Jareth realized only then about how sick Sarah was. What had he done?

Her body was too thin. Sarah's collarbones jutted out unnaturally, her arms held nothing except a little muscle and the bone that could be seen behind the skin, her ribcage could be seen no matter what angle she lay, her thighs were the same breath as her calves, and her spine sent shivers down his own. He had always been lean, skinny even, and held some compassion towards those who simply could not gain even a little weight. But he couldn't stand it when mortal girls denied themselves nourishment.

Skinny girls, he guessed, just weren't his type; quoting from hundreds of movies he had seen over the recent years. He didn't like the thought of woman's ribcage feeling hard again his own, when there should have been soft and supple breasts there. The thought of woman's jutting-out-hips grinding against his own, just made him feel a little bit sick. Jareth decided then and there, if Sarah truly was his one and only, she would definitely have to gain some weight.

He was closely monitoring her dreams as well. She was lusting. For the past ten hours or so, she had gone through every human emotion he knew of, and then didn't know of. A small masculine part of his mind wanted to reach out and help her through it all. It had been little over thirty hours or so, and he knew he could touch her but didn't. Sarah was in a very fragile state of mind. The sun would seem too bright, the stars a little whiter and the rains a little lighter. His touch would seem more loving than helping. He couldn't let her know he had fallen head-over-heels for her. Instead, he would cover up with arrogance, ignorance and sweet nothings.

Yet the girl beside him continued to dream and her moans were growing louder, echoing through his head like a long and empty hallway. Ecstasy, he concluded in his search for the right adjective to describe those lusty groans. If anything, they made him uncomfortable. He didn't understand completely on how he felt about the situation presented before him. There he was, sharing a bed with a crazy, naked and mortal woman.

Therefore, he got up.

Exiting the room, Jareth wandered slowly, taking in the mediocre family home. Two bed chambers, one with a bath chamber, a nursery, a kitchen, a music room and a dining room. No living area though. Nowhere where one could sit and watch television. Such a pity. He had always enjoyed television. He sat on trees in his owl form and watched those _magic_ boxes portray humans for what they really were and what they really weren't.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. He didn't know what to think anymore. The night had confused him. Sarah had bewildered him. Watching sheer mental agony was something he had not seen firsthand. How could someone feel pain so horrible on the inside that it contorted and spasmed the body, like they had ingested some torturous poison? Had he caused Sarah to become the way she was? If so, how?

Plenty of men, women and children had seen him before. They had played his game and of course failed. Why hadn't they lost their sanity, or sense of reality? Then he remembered. The losers were made to forget. They would forget him, the Labyrinth and the children they'd wished away. There had only been one winner of his game. That was Sarah. She kept the child she'd wished away and the memories of both him and the Labyrinth. Those memories had cut those fragile strings that kept her grounded with reality. It was his fault. It was his fault that Sarah was the broken woman she was today.

Jareth moved swiftly for the bathing chamber. Human in design, but the same basic logic was used to create the facilities that the room offered. It was petite but quaint. A bathtub, sink and toilet. The bare essentials. Turning the knob on the bathtub, he jumped a little as the scalding hot water burnt his fingers behind the gloves. He sighed, and began to strip himself of his clothing. He was sure Sarah would not mind if he were to make use of her facilities. Even the fey had the concept of hygiene. Cleanliness is next to godliness.

After fidgeting with the red knob and the blue knob, which he discovered had the power to control the water temperature, he managed to fill the bath tub with reasonably warm water. The last item of clothing he shed from his body was the glove encasing his left hand. Unfortunately, that hand reminded him time and time again that being near immortal, and not fully immortal, meant that he was going to die someday. He was withering away, and his right hand proved it. A blackish brown in color, the hand's flesh was peeling away and the bones were showing behind the translucent skin. He could not bear the looking at that hand anymore than he had to, so he always wore gloves. Unless he was bathing. That was the only exception.

Sinking further into the warm water, Jareth relaxed a little. The water relieved the tensions in his muscles and in his heart, even if it were temporary; he enjoyed it while he could. The feeling sunk deep into his bones and he felt content. And with that, the first ray of sunshine the new day brought burst through the rippled glass of the bathroom window.

* * *

"Hey kiddo! Where's your brother? Got us tickets to see the big game tonight, I did!"

Anna froze at her dad's words. She had just brushed her teeth and walked out of the bathroom to find Andrew lingering outside the nursery. She gulped.

"Um," she hesitated for a moment, "he's at this weird baby camp thing. Mom thought it would be fun for him to get away from us for a while. So it looks like it's just me, you and Clarisse now, eh?"

Andrew watched her eyes for a moment before just nodding, a smile plastered on his face.

"Got your stuff?"

"Yeah, let me get changed and I'll meet you in the car."

"Alright kiddo," he replied before heading towards the kitchen, probably to steal some of Sarah's food for the weekend.

Anna walked into her room and shut the door tight behind her. She lied to her dad. She'd never done that before. Sure, she'd lied to her mom before but that was for own sake. But her dad; she felt like she had sinned.

"Nice save."

Anna jumped in shock and turned towards the source of the voice. Jareth stood in the centre of her room, rolling a crystal ball between his hands. The way he rolled the ball in his hands so smoothly entranced her. She watched the crystal travel back and forth for a long moment, before her brain could think up a coherent sentence.

"Where's Freddy?" she murmured, not wanting her dad to hear her 'talking to herself'.

Jareth stopped rolling the crystal and pointed to the window. Anna gasped. What was past the glass of her window was not the neighbor's house, but something breathtakingly different. Orange sky that faded to yellow towards the horizon but no sunshine. A maze roughly the size of her palm from the distance she was at, and she must have been a few miles away at least. At the centre, on top of a hill in the centre of the labyrinth, was a castle. Though it looked tiny from where she stood, Anna could tell that it must have been huge. "He's there, in my castle. Do you still want to look for him?"

Anna gulped. Honestly, she didn't. The labyrinth was massive, and she was so far away. She despised long walks and jogging cross country, but at least when she did them, she knew where she was going. If she were to take on his labyrinth, she wouldn't have a clue where she was going. She had read the book. Nothing was as it seemed, back was forward, up was down and heaven was hell.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked him, trying to raise her voice a little.

Jareth shrugged and simply said, "Collateral."

"What?"

"Anna darling, go play with your toys and your costumes. Forget the baby for now. Before you even realize, your baby brother will be back in his cradle and your mother will be in a better place. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

It did.

"No," Anna shook her head. "I can't trust you."

"Really? Why is that?"

"You made Sarah the way she is now. She trusted you."

Anna watched as the expression on Jareth's face slowly turned into a grimace. His glove covered hands balled into fists. His eyes narrowed and Anna could practically feel his glare. She didn't care though. If there was one thing in the world she could do, then it was standing up for herself.

"That was not my fault," he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Her psychologist told me that she'd had a dream one night. A dream of that her brother was taken away by goblins and the only way she could get him back was if she ran the Labyrinth of the Goblin King. So she did and saved Toby. But she also fell into a deep obsession that night as well. An obsession with the Goblin King. She couldn't stop thinking about him. A month later, Toby died from meningitis. The world really is a cruel place."

Jareth didn't move for a long moment. He didn't even breathe. A living statue, for a few long moments. And when he did move, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat but his eyes were still dark, dangerous and unfathomable.

"You have three days in which to solve the Labyrinth before your baby brother becomes one of us, forever."

And with those words, he disappeared from sight. With him, so did everything she viewed as reality. Standing on top of a high hill with nothing but a bent tree, she sighed. What had she done? There she was, in the same clothes she had been wearing for the past twenty four hours. Pushing all the thoughts out of her head, she breathed deeply for a few seconds. She only had three days, and she had feeling Jareth wasn't going to be kind to her.

* * *

Sarah awoke that Sunday morning feeling a little refreshed. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. The sun shone brightly through her window. The rays of light bounced off the mirror mounted to her wardrobe and right into her eyes. It dazed her a little, but not much.

She'd had such awful dreams last night but couldn't recall one of them. She was sure that she'd kicked the duvet off the bed, but it lay on top of her, like someone had picked it up off the floor and laid it neatly on top of her. It wasn't surprising that she'd found herself with no clothing on either.

She sat up, the duvet slipping off her and she caught her reflection in the mirror. Did she always look so somber? Walking right up close to the mirror, she gasped. Who was that person? The girl looked sick and pale and far too skinny. She had a little tattoo of a swallow on her hip. When had she gotten that done? What really got her were the scars covering every inch of her skin from her navel to midway down her thighs. They weren't from the scratching session last night; those cuts were shallow and would heal painlessly. The scars she saw were deep and thick. Thankfully, she got out of self-harming when she was about twenty or so. Despite her pale face, her cheeks were a little flushed. Confused but still feeling a little light on her heels, Sarah exited her room and into the hallway. It was Sunday so the kids wouldn't be home until about nine pm or so. She had the day to herself.

She needed to do some shopping. Andrew always came and stole most of the food she kept in the house for Anna and Freddy at the weekends, so she would need to go and get some more groceries. She paused in the hall, thinking up a mental shopping list. She hadn't felt this lively about grocery shopping in… well, ever. When she realized this, the fact she was still naked came as a shock. Why hadn't she bothered putting on even her robe?

What had happened last night? She recalled the night before. Heroin, she remembered. She was going to get herself high for the weekend to make it pass quicker. But then… what had happened? Her heroin wasn't in her wardrobe and she vaguely recollected seeing all of her left over illegal drugs sitting on her dresser. Who had left them all in such plain sight?

The singing from the bathroom seemed to answer that.

"_How you've turned my world, you precious thing,"_ the voice sang in a beautiful memorizing tone. No one on earth could have such a wonderful voice. Hadn't she heard this song before? "_You starve and near exhaust me. Everything I've done, I've done for you. I move the stars for no one…"_

And that beautiful voice carried on singing. Sarah, somehow entranced by the voice and the song, pushed gently on the bathroom door. The lock and the handle, had been removed by the social welfare officer in case she tried to kill herself. There was no privacy for those who were classified insane. She was still waiting for them to send in home help, like she was a ninety year old who couldn't look after herself.

That was when she saw him. Her dream, her undying obsession and her delusion. The one responsible for the loss of her sanity and the one responsible for stealing her heart. He didn't know it, but Sarah loved him. Just like he, her deathless obsession had converted into an almost painful kind of love. Not infatuation or lust; both of them cared deeply for each other but neither would ever admit it.

_Such a pity._

They had both succeeded in loving each other but the prophecy was not fulfilled. Not yet.

Jareth caught Sarah's eyes in the mirror which reflected the door. He made no attempt to move. She had probably heard him singing. He always did have a wonderful singing voice, unlike his father and that was probably the only difference they hand. Except that unlike Jareth's hand that was only beginning to wither, his father's entire arm was getting pretty ugly. Neither his mother nor father could hold a tune. Therefore Jareth enjoyed flaunting his talent whenever he could. Singing whilst bathing was always one of his favorite past times.

Sarah's face turned a beautiful beetroot red and the heat travelled right up her scalp. He chuckled lightly at her innocence. He did wonder though, if she spent every Sunday roaming around her home naked. Not that he had any objections, but she must have found it little cold. Oh well, to each his own.

After she closed the door, Jareth stood up, the lukewarm bath water rolling of him and splashing into the tub. He grabbed the only towel (which was pink and had some woman named '_Barbie_' printed on it) and dried himself off, before throwing it into the laundry basket. His hair was still a little wet at the ends but they would dry off eventually. He was going to have to cut it again soon. Those blond locks were getting thicker and long enough to touch his hips now.

He pondered over what to wear for a few moments before settling with a white puffy button down shirt tucked into skin-tight black breeches and a pair of knee high boots. He didn't feel the need to wear armor today. Unlike yesterday, when there was a hormone ridden pubescent teenager within a mile radius of him. Now that little girl was lying in a heap somewhere in the forest surrounding the Labyrinth. She hadn't even made it to the front gate yet. He should have been kinder to her, but she had brought it on herself.

There were five entrances to the Labyrinth, and three hundreds exits. Not all the exits were nice though. Most of them preferred to either completely ignore you or tell you that it was the way to centre. The five entrances though each had a given name. There was Alice's Gate which was roughly three hours from the centre, and was usually reserved for ten years olds who accidently wished their siblings away while telling them a story. Then there was Fleur's Gate which was thirteen hours from the centre and had Hoggle guarding it, with his can of fairy pesticide. Annoying as he was, he was a pretty good guard. After that was Juliet's Gate approximately a day from the centre. Then Phoenix's Gate was three days from the centre, which was the one Anna was dropped a few miles off yesterday. And then after that was Sable's Gate, four weeks away from the centre.

Sable's Gate was reserved for the abusers, the rapists and the downright horrible. They had wished their child away and they did not get a choice whether they ran the Labyrinth or not. They always did and they always died. They perished in the flames of hell where they belonged. No one ever entered Sable's Gate and lived to tell of what they saw there. Not even Jareth knew what that dreadful part of the Labyrinth held. Nor did he ever want to know, for that matter.

Sarah had pulled on an old pair of gray sweats and a white t-shirt, and was sitting in front of the piano by the time Jareth got out of the bathroom. However, she didn't notice his lingering presence in the doorway immediately. Pressing her finger against one of the ivory keys, she closed her eyes and savored the note. So sweet and crisp; beautiful. Before she knew it, all of fingers were pushing the shiny white keys in a beautiful chorus that she had made up herself, a long time ago. The music echoed through the once broken woman, and for the first time since she could remember, she felt alive. She didn't want to be numb. She didn't want to be addicted. She wanted to be someone who could love and cry. Someone who could smile and laugh. The painful times were hard, but not so hard that she had numb herself to nothing. Not so hard that she had to numb herself down so much so that she had to cut her hips just to feel something again.

There was always a silver lining.

Jareth walked slowly, warily, over to the woman with the bright eyes of a little girl and sat next to her on the stool. Sarah shimmied over a little to allow him room. He didn't scare her. She didn't even feel intimidated by him, despite all he had done. He once had intimidated her but she had grown out of fearing other adults. As long as he didn't disappear to never return. She could live happily with her 'delusion' by her side. But if he decided to show himself now and then disappear forever… well, she knew she couldn't handle that. Her friends from the Labyrinth had done that to her. They deserted her. Strange, how the one who supposedly hated her was the one to come back during her time of need.

The past seventeen years had been her time of need. No one ever came to her aid. They dolled her up with drugs and took the locks off her bathroom doors. Her father and her stepmother worried about her while she still lived with them, but once she moved out, they never even bothered to call once a week. Sometimes she got a postcard in from their latest vacation or cruise, but that was it. Sarah once thought Andrew cared about her, but all he ever did was drink before they split up. The druggie and the alcoholic; they really did belong together. That was until Andrew had his 'mid-life' crisis and split up with her.

Jareth's hands joined hers on the keyboard, and together they played a complex piece of music. She had never heard anything like it. Her piano playing skill was mediocre, but with him playing with her; there weren't made to describe such beauty. It was the kind of music that invoked tears but made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Something she had not felt in years. As it filled her from head to toe, she rejoiced in it. The tears rolled down her face and her eyes were closed, but inside she was truly happy.

It was just like the moment of calm before a storm.

The music came to a slow finish, and everything was silent. Jareth watched Sarah, watched her closed eyes and the tears roll down her cheeks. He leaned forward, just a little and wiped one of those tears away. Sarah opened her eyes abruptly, surprised by his caring gesture. He was about to pull his gloved hand from her cheek, but she held it there. She felt the warmth against her cheek and the love behind that touch. The feeling that came with that touch brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. Every emotion was strong and raw, something her body wasn't really used to. Even the littlest emotions that poured from her soul seemed alien to her body. But she welcomed that strangeness. She wanted to get used to it. Sarah wanted to feel again.

Jareth's breath caught in his throat as Sarah's soft but bony hand held his own to her cheek. Little did she know that she was holding his withering hand. If she were to hold it too tight, the skin would break, the bones would crack and his hand would be crushed. The fear of losing his hand was bubbling in his stomach, but he didn't want Sarah to get the wrong idea. So he let her hold it. If had been anyone else, no. But for his one and only, yes.

That was when the phone rang; merciless shrills ringing through the empty halls and rooms. If Freddy had been there, he probably would have started screaming at the siren-like ringing.

Sarah dropped Jareth's hand and got up. Picking up the phone, she pressed the green button and held it to her ear. Jareth had suddenly gotten very stiff in his seat.

"Hello?" Sarah asked, a little over-enthusiastically. She was feeling a little flushed.

"Sarah?" Andrew's voice sounded… well, hysteric. "It friggin' nice to see you've joined the realm of the living!"

Andrew's words confused Sarah. What was he talking about?

"What?" Sarah replied, before biting down on her bottom lip.

"Don't 'what' me like you know nothing! Where the hell are they, Sarah?" Andrew bellowed. Sarah cringed a little and held the phone away from ear.

"Andrew, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"GOD DAMMIT SARAH! WHERE ARE THEY? WHERE ARE ANNA AND FREDDY?"

* * *

**A/N: Oh hello again wonderful reader who has reached the end of this unreasonably long chapter. Apologies, I got a little carried away this time. I think I was a little off 5000 words... Oh well, the more the merrier they always say. Anyhow, seeming you reached the end, I'd highly recommend clicking the review button now, and start complaining to me about how long and dull this chapter was. I have no power over what you do, unfortunately. Cheers for reading though ;)**


	5. Melodrama

**Chapter Five: Melodrama**

The phone slipped out of Sarah's hand as her mind absorbed her ex-husband's words. The device hit the floor, therefore cutting off Andrew who was practically screaming at Sarah. He was threatening to phone the police and they'd take her to the 'loony bin' where she belonged. Truth was that Andrew didn't trust Sarah. He was paranoid that she would take their kids somewhere far away and he would never see them again. As unlikely as it sounded, it was completely possible. Sarah was showing signs of bipolar II disorder, which meant she was only getting worse. The woman was so unpredictable. Andrew pitied her, but didn't feel any pity for her now. This was the last straw. Sarah was a danger to herself and to his children.

"What have you done?" Sarah whispered, her eyes fixated on the wall and not to the man she was speaking too.

Jareth was no longer seated in front of the piano. He materialized before her very eyes, his nose less than an inch from hers.

"What have I done Sarah?" He murmured, his icy scentless breath touching her flushed cheeks. "Does it really matter?"

"Matter?" She echoed, "of course it matters? They're my children!"

"Mmm," he hummed and dropped his head so his nose skimmed the patch of exposed skin near the base of the left side of her neck. Sarah tried to move away from, to rebuke him and back away, but she couldn't. Whether he had magically forced the wall behind her, or moved her back without notice, she couldn't tell. Her breath caught in her throat. His expression was unfathomable. "They prove how useful you will be to me, my dear."

Sarah froze as soon as those horrible words slipped out from between his lips. She dropped the hands she had been using to try and push him away. Jareth bit down hard on his tongue. He regretted those words as soon as he spoke them.

"Are you going to rape me Jareth?" She said, almost casually but there was a slight edge of hysteria to her voice. "If all you want is to prove your dominance over me, after spending what? Seventeen years looking for me then please. If that's all you've come here to do…" She laughed humorlessly, tears shining in her eyes, "Then do as you wish. I don't have any strength to rebuke you. I've spent most of my life on the edge of insanity. Now that my children are gone and that you are going defile me, I think it's time to fall of this tightrope and into the net of chaos and lies that we call insanity."

Jareth's head had snapped up as her tongue pronounced those riddling words. How could she think that he was here to… The very thought disgusted him. Vile, cruel, horrible, he would admit that he was, but a rapist? To take a woman against her will purely to prove his own power over her? He was brought up a noble, a prince, a king, and he could never fall so low. Not even if he wanted to.

"Sarah," he shook his head and stepped back, watching her through narrowed eyes. "I am afraid that I have not been honest with you."

* * *

Falling. Anna had been falling for so long in the dark that she couldn't tell which way was up or which way was down. Hunger gnawed at her stomach and thirst burned hot against the lining of her throat. She was going to die falling, and even after death her body would still fall. She knew that if she ever hit the ground that she would be dead too. How did she even end up falling in the first place? She recalled walking for hours on end; the sky an ominous misty gold, the castle in the centre of the horizon, the fantastic maze surrounding it the size of her thumbnail against the horizon. How had she gotten so far away from it? She remembered walking through an iron gate covered in ivy and orange feathers. Then it all became very confusing. Her mind hurt just trying to think about what happened after she'd entered the gate.

And then she hit the floor, but not as harshly as she thought she might have. The ground was soft, dusty. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized that she was sitting on a bed of ash. She also realized that she wasn't alone.

"You are Anna Williams."

It was a statement of fact, not a question. Anna quickly rose to her feet, feeling a little dizzy but managed to keep her balance. Her eyes focused on the man before her. From the neck down, he wore blue. Sky blue shirt, electric blue shiny high collar jacket with long sleeves, navy leather gloves, tight gray-blue pants and knee high black-blue boots. His skin was chalk white except for the tinge of blue on his lips. His eyes were narrow and light wrinkles traced his skin. His hair too, was somehow the same color as his skin but seemed much more vibrant. It was long, thin and frail. The hair of an old man.

"Jareth does not permit me to enter his Labyrinth yet still expects me to keep an eye on it while he is away chasing dreams," his voice was calm, serene but very powerful. He held out his palm, offering Anna the tinted blue crystal that had materialized there. "But you and I both know that dreams do not come true." And then the crystal shattered into nothing but sapphire blue sand that was nowhere near the shade of blue the glass crystal had been.

Anna did not speak a word. The man before her seemed to have an air nobility or something around him, and she did not feel it right to speak when she hadn't been asked a question. This was unlike her. She blamed the fall for the lack of words formulating in her mind.

"You are the daughter of the one my boy is chasing," the man stated and blew the sand off his palm. "Do you know why he is chasing your mother?"

Anna shook her head.

"Then why are you here?"

"I don't know," she murmured.

"You don't know why you're here? Really? That is surprising. Aren't you looking for someone? You wished him away, after all."

Anna shook her head, "But I didn't. Jareth took Freddy and didn't say anything else! Now I've got little over two days to find him, and I'm so hungry and tired and thirsty! I didn't want this."

"You didn't?"

"No. He promised me; he promised he'd take Sarah away… that it would be like she never existed."

"In exchange for?"

"He gave me my dreams," Anna held out the crystal Jareth had given her. "He gave me my dreams in exchange for giving him my mother's medication."

"I see… Why? What medication is she on?"

"I don't know; anti-depressants and anti-psychotics I think."

"Your mother has lost her sense of reality since she rescued the child she wished away from the Labyrinth. Some drugs cause humans unable to see the Fae and the Fae cannot see nor touch them in return. I can't imagine it myself. How can you cope with it, Anna? How can you cope not knowing whether this is all a dream or brutal reality?"

* * *

A teardrop of blood rolled from the corner of his eye. Whether it was blood or not, she could not tell. The teardrop itself was electric blue. It rolled slowly down his cheek as he paused, waiting for her reply.

"Your father wants to be reborn?" Sarah echoed, not quite understanding the explanation she had just been given.

Jareth nodded and quickly wiped away the blue tear, "Yes. However, I do not wish to succumb to my father's wishes. You do not understand what it is like to live again and again, the same repetitive life over and over. All I need to do is break the chain Sarah, break that everlasting chain of events. Then I could be free."

The gleam of hope in his inhumane eyes fascinated Sarah. The anger and bitterness that engulfed her form was quickly forgotten, but she was still curious.

"How do I fit into this?" She asked.

Jareth shrugged, "Prophecy. Prophecy is the key to breaking this chain."

"What is the prophecy?"

"This time, the prophecy of which we speak of is a whisper in the air. I've heard it through my many lives but never caught more than a word at a time. I think that the words form this phrase, '_The hardest to love are those who need it most_.'"

"That's a prophecy?" Sarah mumbled, a little confused. How could those words mean anything? They gave no clue into what had to be fulfilled.

"I do not fully understand it myself either Sarah," Jareth explained, "however, I do believe that those words have twined our paths together. If I had never heard those words thousands of mortal years ago, I would have joined the Unseelie Court long before I would have ever met you."

Sarah breathed in very deeply and held it until she felt like she was going to faint. There was no chance that she was part of a prophecy, a chosen one. She was just crazy. That was it. There she was on the brink of insanity. How could something like that ever be reality? It was always this ongoing fight. But what was real? Was Jareth real? Was he and the Labyrinth a fantasy? Or was it this life she had been living the fantasy? Nothing made sense anymore. She wished then and there that the past seventeen years had never happened. That if she took on Jareth's offer, she would be a happier and stronger woman now.

"What happens now?" Sarah asked in a small voice.

"I fear that the worst has come," Jareth bit down on his lower lip. "My father has entered my Labyrinth. He has your children, and Anna has told him of my plans."

Jareth pounded his fist against the piano in sheer agitation. How could he be so stupid! He should have known that he would be spending time out of the Labyrinth, and should not have sent Sarah's children there. Especially whilst his father was being ever so meddlesome. He would trick Anna. Anna was only a child. Her opinions were not her own and her thoughts were another's words. Too young and too naïve to think for herself. She would fall her father's tricks, because Jareth knew his father all too well. His father was a much older and much wiser version of himself. After all, he was the Goblin King before Jareth was born.

"He wants us to challenge him. Being such an honorable and noble man he is, he will not deceit me. He will play my game fair, and if I lose then I will be him someday."

Sarah gulped. She understood what he meant. Jareth's father wanted to beat Jareth at his own game. He wanted Jareth to run the Labyrinth, to save the children that he so cruelly sent away. Of course, Sarah would come too. She didn't trust him enough to bring both her children back on his own. He was the one who sent her children to that god-awful Labyrinth in the first palce. Sarah had to go and help. After all, she had ran his Labyrinth and won before. She felt compassion for the man before her. There was no way she could even imagine what he had been through, but she doubted that he had ever ran his own Labyrinth.

Life was so unfair.

* * *

_A/N: I would like to apologise for my lack of updating this story. Unfortunately my laptop charger broke and it took a while to get a new one but I'm not going to fill your head's with excuses. It's my fault and I'm sorry. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I promise the next chapter will be up sometime real soon. I have just finished the plan for this story so I know where I'm going now, so no more excuses for not writing. _

_Please review!_


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